Regina gamer goes from the basement to the big time

Regina’s Mathew Fiorante earns money playing Halo. His team, Status Quo placed first at the Major League Gaming’s Halo: Reach Winter Championship in Columbus, OH last week and they each took home $5K. Photo taken in Regina on Mar 30, 2012.

Photograph by: Don Healy
, Regina Leader-Post

REGINA -- “I feel like I’m more of a slayer/sniper,” Mathew Fiorante says. “I always charge first. I always get all of the kills. My teammates are more objective, but I like to just kill everything I see.”

He’s a natural-born killer. Leaping high up in the air, he can pick his target — using a sniper rifle, grenade or whatever weapon he fancies — to deliver another brutal execution. When he goes to battle with his troops, he’s just as deadly.

And, as the 15-year-old Regina product recently proved, he can kill with the best of them.

At this year’s Major League Gaming’s Halo: Reach Winter Championship, which took place in Columbus, Ohio, last week, Fiorante and his team of four, Status Quo, defeated 2011-champs Instinct to win the tournament and pocket $20,000.

“It was probably the most amazing experience I’ve ever had. I look up to the players that win tournaments and then I come and win the tournament. Some of the best players in the league have been playing for 15 years and I’m 15, so it’s like beating your elders,” Fiorante says.

“It was kind of back and forth all game: one kill, another kill, one kill, another kill.”

Never heard of Major League Gaming? You’re hardly alone. But, whether you’ve heard of the league or not, it’s clear that video games have officially made the move from the basement to the big time. Now, top gamers can compete at sponsored tournaments and take home cash. There are even coaches.

And Fiorante is right in the middle of it.

“I feel like it’s just the beginning,” Fiorante says. “It’s expanding all across the world and it’s going to be like a national sport.”

Fiorante’s gaming days began like they do for a typical child. When he was seven years old, he began playing Halo with his brother, Chris. Fiorante had always had an interest in sports and was naturally hooked on the competitive aspect of video games.

Suffice to say, he’s logged more than a few hours since then.

When he first heard of MLG, it piqued his interest. Founded in 2002, MLG reaches hundreds of thousands of fans in 170 countries. The league hosts a number of high-profile events for games such as Halo: Reach, Mortal Kombat 9 and StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty and attracts 1,200-1,500 competitors — the common demographic being 16- to 28-year-old males. At these big events, hundreds of thousands of dollars in prizes are often available. In addition, around 750,000 matches are held each month on gamebattles.com.

Fiorante has competed in three MLG events since he was 14 — not to mention numerous local tournaments. Last year, Fiorante says he earned $25,000-$30,000.

“I never thought I’d be able to make that much money playing video games,” he says.

Andy Dudynsky, a MLG commentator known as Bravo, has marvelled at Fiorante’s skills.

“It’s been a real rise to the top for him,” Dudynsky says. “He started out as a player who no one had heard of that was gaining some respect — people were willing to play with him and give him a shot.

“Throughout the course of most of last season, we saw him rise from a player who was kind of placing within the top 12 teams in North America to a contender who’d be playing throughout the finals of an event. I think he’s surrounded himself with some really good talent.

“You can tell that he puts in the practice time at home.”

That practice time equates to around five to six hours a weekday in his decked-out gaming room. On weekends, Fiorante says he can play all day.

However, Fiorante says this doesn’t mean he’s addicted to video games. If he doesn’t feel like playing for an entire day, he won’t.

Fiorante does remains active in sports. Also, he’s getting almost all As as a Grade 10 student at LeBoldus High School. When he leaves for an event, Fiorante is sure to work ahead on his homework. With his winnings, he’s invested for the future — whether it means buying a car or going to university.

According to Fiorante’s father, Mike, he is able to find a balance between video games and other activities, so there is no major concern.

“It’s always school first, video games second. He does sports as well. He does spend a lot of time playing video games — because it’s his passion — but you can’t just do video games ... and he’s pretty good about that,” Mike says.

“It’s been pretty exciting for both him and the family. He’s able to make some money doing what he loves.”

After graduating from high school, Fiorante says he may go to university, perhaps majoring in business. Of course, he wouldn’t mind making a career out of playing video games. People have made hundreds of thousands dollars in the league.

According to Dudynsky, Fiorante has certainly got the right attitude to succeed.

“Obviously, you have to be talented like he is to get there, but I think his personality is another big part of his success,” Dudynsky says. “He’s a really humble kid. He respects all of his competitors.”

He may be humble, but that doesn’t mean Fiorante is unaware of how high he has risen on the Halo food chain.

Story Tools

Regina’s Mathew Fiorante earns money playing Halo. His team, Status Quo placed first at the Major League Gaming’s Halo: Reach Winter Championship in Columbus, OH last week and they each took home $5K. Photo taken in Regina on Mar 30, 2012.

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.